Full Moon
by ANIMElove737
Summary: Richard Grayson gets pulled into the adventure of his life...quite literally! Will he be able to handle the stresses that this group of people has to offer? Strong BBRae and RobStar. No one for Cy, lo siento! Rating may change!
1. Chapter 1

**_Ok, new Fic! I personally think that this is one of my better Fics. It's kind serious, and I'm warning you now, most of the Titans are really out of character (especially Garfield! [Beast boy])! Please R and R! No flames, please! If you don't like it or have suggestions, please don't be afraid to say something (nicely, though)! Well, enough of my talking, enjoy!!!!!_**

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Richard Grayson lay on top of the building of Wayne Enterprises, staring up at the stars and sighing. It had been two years now that he had been working for his foster parent, Bruce Wayne, and he loved him dearly, but he couldn't do it anymore. His job was extremely dull, and he lived for action. Not to say the life that he was living at the moment wasn't great, he just didn't think he could handle it anymore. He had spent one too many nights in silence, no talking, no music, no nothing. He just sat in his room, alone and bored. Once in a while he'd write in his journal, but even that seemed to be getting old. So, when Bruce was out doing whatever it was he did at night, Richard would come up on the roof to keep his mind off of how bored he was. Little did he know that this particular night would change his life forever.

A shooting star caught his attention, and he smiled as it passed by him. Closing his eyes, Richard made a wish. '_I wish to be out of this hell hole...I want to have an adventure..._' He thought as his lids slid open to reveal icy blue eyes. As he looked up again, he saw yet another star plummeting through the atmosphere. '_Huh, that's odd...there was no call for a meteor shower this evening._' He studied the falling star further, then almost choked on his own saliva when the star stopped suddenly. Richard shot up from his spot and stared in disbelief as the star seemed to glow green and explode, sending debris everywhere. "Holy—!" He began, but was cut off by the sight before his eyes. A woman, around 20, was rapidly falling, hurtling toward him at high speed. Thinking quickly, Richard climbed up the satellite dish on the side of the building and grabbed the woman before she landed. Jumping down and doing a back flip in the process, he set her down gently and examined her injuries. She was badly wounded with gashes all over and a rather large bruise right above her right eyebrow. He ran his fingers over it lightly and she winced in pain before sliding one eye open. Oh my God! Her eyes were completely green! Even the whites of her eyes held an emerald tint as she shook herself awake, standing abruptly and dusting herself off.

"I am terribly sorry, human." Her voice was high pitched and sweet, but the intensity of her outer appearance dissolved all ideas of innocence. Her long, glossy red hair stayed neatly up on top of her head in a ponytail with two strands hanging in her face. Her skin seemed to radiate an orange glow as she brushed off a spot of dirt on her exposed stomach. The purple spandex that covered her more private areas was tight and hugged her chest and hips nicely, and the boots she wore came up past her knees and wrapped around her thighs. Realizing he was staring, Richard snapped his attention back up to her eyes.

"Oh, um, that's—" Was all he could get out before he heard gunshots. Many gunshots. The mysterious woman that just fell from the sky jumped at him and wrapped her arms around him. "What're you doing?!" He shouted as he felt them moving quickly toward the edge of the building.

"Please, sir, I know this must seem odd, but follow me off the edge!" She shouted over the sound of the gunshots. And with that, she jumped, pulling him with her. He tried to yell, but he found himself stunned into silence. Just as he thought they were going to make contact with the ground, he felt a sharp tug and opened his eyes to see that he was nowhere near the pavement of the street below. In fact, he was moving away from the street. Looking up, he saw the red-haired girl above him, dragging him through the sky as if he were as light as a feather. Wait, through the sky? He whipped his head downward and found his feet dangling in the night air. HOLY SHIT! They were flying!

"Oh my God!" He shouted and brought his feet up to his stomach. The red-haired girl simply smiled and continued to carry him into the stars.

**000**

They touched down a few minutes later in a place Richard had never seen before. It was dirty and ratty and smelled like dead fish; he wasn't comfortable here. The woman next to him could sense this, and spoke to ease the tension. "So...I assume you would like to know my name, correct?"

He jumped at the sudden noise and turned to her, forgetting for a second that she was there. "Um, yeah, that would be helpful..."

She giggled and stood up straighter. "My name is Koriand'r, but you are permitted to call me Kori if you would like."

Richard nodded. "Ah, Kor—Korian—um, Kori. It's nice to meet you, Kori. I'm Richard Grayson, but you can just call me Richard."

Kori held out her hand for him to shake, and he met her halfway, grasping her soft hand lightly and shaking it gently. "It is quite wonderful to meet you too, Richard Grayson. Tell me, what in Florkmar'k's name were you doing on top of the 'building of Wayne'?"

"Florkmar'k?" She nodded and he figured he didn't want to know. "Um, well, I always go up there when I—wait! I'm the one who should be asking you questions! What in the hell happened just now? How can you fly? Who was shooting at us and why? And what's with your eyes?" He took a deep breath in and looked at her strangely. She simply laughed and turned around.

"Your questions shall be answered soon, Richard Grayson, but first...follow me." Kori stated and walked away. He followed her in a trance-like state; this woman, whoever she was, was beautiful, and she didn't seem like someone who would lie to him, so he ran after her down the dark alley. She seemed to be looking for something...or someone. "Oh, where could they be?" She mumbled as she lifted her hand in the air. To his surprise, it started glowing green.

"Holy hell!" Richard shouted and jumped back.

Kori put her other hand over his mouth and shushed him. "Please be quiet, Richard Grayson! We cannot get caught! I will explain everything later." She hissed as they made their way down the alleyway, Kori's hand still over Richard's mouth.

Thoughts buzzed through Richard's mind as they neared an intersection of the alley and a nearby street. What was going on? How did he get roped into this? All he did was lay on top of the building and...holy crap! The shooting star! Was this what was meant by an adventure? He had just wanted to backpack across Europe or something. Now he was following a strange woman with orange skin and green eyes down an unfamiliar alleyway with no clue as to what was going on, and he didn't like it one bit.

A sudden roar brought him out of his thoughts, and a bright flash of light exploded from the street ahead of him and Kori. Kori sped up and ran to the edge of the alley to peer around the corner of the building that blocked their view. Richard thought that this meant he should look too, and as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light, he saw something that made his mouth drop open.

There was a man standing in the middle of the street, opposite of dozens of cops with guns, and the man was green! His spiked hair was pulled back by a purple bandanna with a black paw print on it, and he wore a tight purple and black muscle shirt that outlined his muscular figure nicely. On his legs he had on loose jeans; his feet were bare. Richard, after giving the odd green man a once-over, looked back up at the man's face and found his eyes to be cat-like, his pupils mere slits and the irises taking on a yellow-ish tint. Before he could even so much as gasp in shock at the sight of such a thing, he was pulled forcibly into a small alcove in the middle of the alley. He figured it was Kori, and he turned to find that it wasn't a green-eyed red-haired woman sitting beside him, but a violet-eyed purple-haired woman. Richard yelped and jumped backwards into something else. Luckily, this time he was correct in assuming it was Kori.

"Richard Grayson, are you alright?" She asked as she helped him into a squatting position. He simply nodded as he turned his attention back to the green man. Only, he wasn't there! In his place stood a jaguar with green-tinted fur and a fierce look in its eyes. In one swift move, the jungle cat pounced at the officers hiding behind their cars, and the girl with purple hair screamed. Kori reached around Richard and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Please, friend Rachel. We cannot let them hear us. Let friend Garfield handle it himself."

As the words escaped her mouth, gunshots were heard. Richard was beginning to hate that sound. He peered out onto the street to see if the green man...jaguar...whatever he was...got hit, but all he saw were police cars speeding away. After what seemed like forever, the green man lurked out of the shadows and Richard breathed a sigh of relief, though he wasn't sure why. But suddenly, the man collapsed to his knees, holding his side, and the purple-haired girl whimpered.

"Gar!" She shouted and ran from the alcove to aid the young green man.

Richard chuckled at the awkward name—he couldn't help it—and stood as well, exiting from their little hiding place and following Kori to where the strange man lay. "Gar? Is that seriously your name?" He snorted out, and the green man looked at him with angry eyes.

"Shut the hell up." He stated bitterly, and winced as the unknown woman with purple hair ran her fingers over the deep gash that ran from his hip to the top of his ribcage. "Dammit, Rae, would you be careful! That hurts!"

The woman who was tending to the green man took in a sharp breath. "Don't be such a baby, Gar. Let me heal you." She snapped and took another deep breath. A light blue static filled the night air as the woman chanted something under her breath. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos...there, all better. Feel free to thank me at any time, Garfield." She stood and dusted off her outfit, which consisted of blue jeans and a black, strapless tube-top, and began to walk away.

"Alright, wait a damn minute! What the hell is going on here?!" Richard shouted as the three strangers turned to leave. They all looked back at him, as if just now realizing that he was there, and stopped in their tracks.

Kori was the first to speak. "Oh, that is right. I have not yet introduced you! Richard Grayson, this is Rachel Roth," She pointed to the purple-haired girl, "...and Garfield Logan." She pointed to the green-skinned man.

Just then, something inside Richard's brain clicked. "Rachel Roth? Garfield Logan? I've heard about you guys! I read about you in the paper. The writers said that you've been causing serious trouble for the government because you're—"

"—freaks?" Rachel cut him off, looking even more pissed than Garfield did earlier when men were shooting at him.

"Um...no...actually, I was going to say because of your disagreement to cooperate with them. I wasn't going to say 'freaks'." He looked at her apologetically, but she just turned away.

Garfield was next to talk. "So you've heard about us, huh? What other bullshit has the media been saying about us? That we hunt little children at night? Rape innocent people for the fun of it? Murder for the thrill? What you read in the paper is a load of crap." He spat. It seemed that this man wasn't a very optimistic one. "If you knew our side of the story—"

"Garfield, that is enough." Kori snapped, then whispered quietly so as only Garfield could hear, "I do not think we should be the ones to tell him this. Wait until he speaks to Victor, please." Garfield simply nodded and turned away, a stance similar to Rachel's at the moment. Kori turned back to Richard. "Richard Grayson, there is much, I am sure, that you are confused about. If you'll allow us, we would like to show you what we are and explain to you what is going on around us. Unfortunately, this is an order, not an option. You are a part of this now, and I am afraid we cannot permit you to go back to your home."

Everyone's heads snapped up at this, and they all started talking at once.

"Kori, I don't think that's a good idea." Rachel muttered.

"Friend Rachel, I do not believe we have any other choice." Kori shot back.

"Yes we do! We could kill him...or at least erase his memory." Garfield growled.

"Don't even joke about that, Gar. It's not funny." hissed Rachel as she put her hands on her hips in irritation.

Garfield snorted. "I don't care if it was funny or not; I was being serious! I say to hell with having him talk to Victor; just erase his memory of ever meeting us and send him on his way!" He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Rachel.

"Um...who's Victor?" Richard asked quietly, but was ignored by the feuding couple.

"That's terrible, Gar! Why would you even suggest something like that?! I would much rather die than have my mind erased!" Rachel's voice was at a full on shout now.

Garfield matched her tone easily. "Why do you even care?! You don't like him either, so we shouldn't even have to waste our time with him! He doesn't understand us; no one does! So why should we be so quick to accept him?! We're freaks, Rachel; you said it yourself."

Rachel's eyes narrowed and her voice was back to a scary hiss. "Don't you _dare_ try to turn this around on me, you stupid animal." Richard was surprised; this Rachel girl seemed like a shy girl who wouldn't say much for fear of being out of line, yet here she was, holding her own against a man who stood a head taller than her and could easily take her down. Then again, Richard had only known these people for five minutes, and using Kori as an example, he figured that she and her friends weren't always what they seemed.

Garfield growled at her words and narrowed his cat-eyes as well. "Damn blood-sucker." He snarled, barring fangs that Richard had failed to notice at first glance.

"Oh dear..." Kori mumbled quietly as the two in front of her played an intense staring contest round. They looked like they were ready to tear each other apart. "Alright, you two, break it up. We are not going to erase his memory and we are taking him with us and that is final." She stated firmly as she grabbed the two by the arms and practically dragged them down the street. "Come, Richard Grayson. There is one more person I would like you to meet."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter two is up! This one is a little more informative than the last, so if you were confused from reading the last chapter, this one cleans it up rather nicely. If you're still confused after reading this chapter, then chapter three will be even more informative. If you're still confused after that...well, you shouldn't be reading this Fic...it's really only for people who know about the Titans' pasts and stuff...others can read it, but I warn you that you'll be kind of lost for a little bit. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the chapter!_**

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While they all walked silently down the vacant street, Richard let his mind wander. '_At first glance Rachel seemed like a rather distant girl, but from what I've just witnessed, she has a bad temper and a sharp tongue. Gar...well, I don't know what he seemed like at first to me, but now he's acting like a total jerk who also apparently has a temper._' He looked back and forth between Rachel and Garfield, who were looking away from each other with their arms crossed like five-year-olds holding a grudge against each other. '_It's funny how alike they are...they almost seem like the same person...they don't seem to get along very well, though. I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with me..._' His thoughts were interrupted for the third time that night by their stopping at a small shack in the middle of the city. It was run down with broken-in windows and brown patches in the grass. "What _is_ this place?" He accidentally asked out loud, then regretted it.

Raven glared at him, then huffed past him with her nose up and walked through the door. Garfield followed her lead, not even bothering to look at him as he entered the run-down building. Kori turned to him and shrugged while sighing. "I am terribly sorry for the way they have been treating you. They are not so good with people, as you may have noticed."

"Yeah, I've noticed." He snorted and looked into the beautiful woman's eyes. They withheld so much joy and happiness, but mixed in there was pain and agony. He didn't know what was going on, but he figured she was unhappy because of it. "A-after you..." Richard held out his hands in a gentlemanly gesture and Kori smiled warmly at him. He followed her into the shack and the door automatically closed behind him, leaving them in the dark. "Kori? Where are you?" He heard her giggle and felt a hand wrap firmly around his wrist. He knew it was her, and let her lead him to what looked like a small metal door. They entered through the door as it opened, and he felt the floor jolt to life. So it was an elevator. Another jolt told him they had reached their destination, and Kori yanked him out of the small elevator room.

His mouth practically fell off of his face at what he saw. A gigantic laboratory lit up before his very eyes as they walked into the room. Little stations were set up in rooms off to the side, and lab tables lined the walls on the opposite side. Test tubes filled with colorful liquids rested on the tables, and as he and Kori entered, Richard could see Rachel and Garfield both leaning against the same lab table, talking to a tall, dark-skinned man who was fiddling with a piece of metal machinery.

Kori let go of Richard's arm and flew over to the group, greeting them each. "Friends, I am most delighted that we are able to gather here all together. Friend Victor," She stated, referring to the mystery man with the lab goggles on, "Friend Victor, there is someone I would like you to meet."

Both Rachel and Garfield rolled their eyes and walked away in different directions, obviously not wanting to be a part of this. The man Kori referred to as 'Victor' stood and removed his goggles, revealing a robotic eye. Richard nearly jumped out of his skin. Although this man was wearing a lab coat and khakis, the mechanical parts of his body were still evident. This man was a cyborg! He looked directly at Richard and smiled warmly. "Well, high there. You must be Richard. Gar and Rae were telling me about you just a moment ago. Though, their descriptions were a bit vague. It's a pleasure to meet you, Richard Grayson. I'm Victor Stone." Victor stuck his metal hand out and Richard, not knowing what else to do, grabbed a hold of it and shook it.

"It's...nice to...m-meet you...too..." He stuttered; it wasn't that he was scared of this man, he was just a little shocked. Of course, this whole night had been full of shocks for him. He had flown over Gotham City, watched a green man turn into an animal, seen a woman with purple hair heal a wound with her bare hands, and now he was shaking hands with a metal man! It was all quite overwhelming, and he felt rather dizzy at the moment.

Apparently it was noticeable because Victor stopped shaking his hand and looked at him curiously. Kori looked worried as Richard swayed a little. "Richard Grayson, are you alright? You are doing the 'drunken stance'."

Victor chuckled and held Richard up by the shoulder. "He's okay, Kor. The man's just tired. Put him to bed and we'll talk in the morning." All Richard could do was nod as Kori carried him into one of the rooms that occupied the west wing of the underground lab. Wow, she was strong!

As she laid him down, she smiled and whispered, "There is no need to worry, Richard Grayson; you are safe here and I promise you we will not be erasing your memory any time soon." Those were the last words he heard before he drifted off into a much-needed sleep.

**000**

Kori exited the room she had put Richard in and walked back to Victor. "Friend Victor...I am sure that you have already heard from friend Garfield and friend Rachel that they do not wish to have Richard Grayson stay here with us. They think he will not accept us, but I disagree. Garfield wishes to erase his memory of us, which I do not agree with as well. What is your opinion on the matter?"

Victor sighed and put his latest project back down on the lab table. He ran his fingers over his bald scalp and looked into Kori's green eyes. "Garfield and Rachel don't get along well with others, as we already know. You know as well as I that they both come from backgrounds of distrust and betrayal; trusting someone is a big step for them. They can't even trust each other yet, and they've know each other for almost three years now. The only reason they suggested such a thing as serious as mind-erasing is because they are scared. They are scared of getting close to someone from the outside, as they have both been there and done that before, and the result was...well, not good. They find a safe-haven in wiping out memories of us. You and I, on the other hand, are more welcoming to newcomers. So, for right now..." Victor sighed again and looked down, closing his eyes and shaking his head, "Right now we'll have him stay."

Kori squealed and hugged Victor tightly before putting him down and clasping her hands together excitedly. "Oh, I thank you, friend Victor! I am most enthusiastic about Richard Grayson! I believe he will be able to teach me the many ways of the human nature!"

The mechanical man let out a breathy laugh and rubbed his temples. "Well, I'm glad you're excited, Kor, but you're the one that's gonna have to break the news to the other two. I can't guarantee they'll be too happy about it, but they'll just have to deal for now."

"Oh, I will tell them the glorious news, friend Victor! Where shall I find them?"

"Where else? On the roof." Victor pointed one forefinger upward and Kori nodded before heading off to find her other friends.

**000**

Rachel stood on the edge of the building, looking off into the distance in deep thought. Gar was sitting cross-legged behind her with his eyes closed and his hands folded in his lap. Rachel smiled; she had taught him to control his anger through meditation, and she was content that he had listened to her. She felt mildly bad for snapping at him, but that was just how they played. He'd yell at her, she'd yell at him, occasionally they'd make physical contact, but it was just the way they interacted with each other. If they didn't do things like that, there would be no point in having the other around. It was a good way of venting, and with their messed up pasts, they needed someone to let their anger out on, so why not each other?

She turned around and looked down at Garfield. He looked so calm, so at peace. It seemed hard to believe that underneath that tough exterior was a man who had been mentally tortured as a child. She shook the thought from her head and glanced back up at the moon. It was almost full. Not good on Gar's part. His temper was at its worst when the moon was full, and it aroused something primal within him. Rachel didn't like it one bit; the way he screamed in agony every time he tried to hold it back. It brought tears to her eyes each and every time. Few things made her cry, but that was one of them. She knew why Gar had all of the sudden lashed out at the cops this evening; he was fighting it off. The 'it' she was referring to was the Beast that lurked inside of his body, striving to get out. It pained her whenever he let the Beast win, but it pained her even more to hear his cries of pain when he tried to suppress it.

"It's under control, you know." Garfield's steady voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she gave him a questioning look as he slid open one eye. "The Beast...is that not what you were thinking about?" This was another thing she liked about Gar; he always knew what was on her mind. "Rae, you don't have to worry; that thing is caged at the moment." He said while standing and brushing the dirt from his pants. He stood up straight again, and Rachel marveled at his strongly defined chest and abs through his tight muscle-shirt.

Taking her eyes away from his amazing body, Rachel looked into his yellow cat-eyes. "But Gar, what about tomorrow or the next day? It may be caged now, but you can't keep it that way forever."

"Rachel, it's under control for now and that's all that matters. Live life in the moment." His voice was chipper, but she knew it was an act. She could see right through his mask.

She sighed and looked down. "Alright...just promise me you're not lying."

He lifted her chin and looked her square in the eyes. "What would I gain from lying to you, Rae?" That was the thing about this little game they played; it was a love/hate battle. Victor tried on multiple occasions to understand their odd relationship, but even he, the master scientist, could not figure it out. Many times he and Kori would say it was an 'unnatural friendship', but they didn't understand what both Garfield and Raven had gone through and were still going through. No one seemed to, and that was fine with them. All they needed was the other and they were fine.

"Friends! I knew I would find you up here!" Came Kori's high-pitched squeal from somewhere on the roof. Gar turned directly toward the sound, his animal instincts enhancing both his hearing and vision, and put on a fake smile as Kori approached them. Rachel hated it when he did that, but then again, she was the only one who could see through his act. Others thought he was genuinely happy, but she knew it was all a lie.

"Hey, Kor! What's up?" The way Garfield was talking was a dead give away that he was straining to remain happy, but Rachel overlooked it for the moment.

Kori clapped her hands together and giggled happily. "Oh, friends, I have wonderful news! Friend Victor has just informed me that Richard Grayson is allowed to stay with us for now! Is that not wonderful?"

Both Rachel and Gar's faces dropped, but Garfield's smile once again appeared on his face as he said, "Yeah, Kori, that's...great..."

The red-haired alien laughed again and spun around. "Oh, this is most joyous! I have always wanted to know more about these humans which inhabit this strange planet, and Richard Grayson can tell me all about these odd creatures!"

"They're not the odd ones, Kor. We are, remember?" Rachel's voice was monotone and her features stoic, but Gar could tell she did not like the idea of entertaining the very species that hated and feared them so much. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and began walking toward the door that led inside.

"She didn't mean anything by it, Kori." He stated reassuringly to her, noticing her confused expression. "Rae's just tired; I think I'm gonna put her to bed now." Kori simply nodded and followed them indoors.

As they entered the lab, Victor looked up from what he was working on and smirked at the look on Rachel's face. "I take it Kori told you the news. I figured you wouldn't like it very much."

"He doesn't belong here with us. In time, he'll run in fear too. Just like everyone else." Rachel mumbled bluntly through clenched teeth. Garfield held on to her tighter and ran his claws lightly over her bare arms.

"Rae, I think that's enough." He whispered.

Rachel scowled at him. "Jesus, Gar, would you stop?! Ten minutes ago you would've agreed with me!" She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Then, against her own will, she hissed. Yes, she hissed like a cat.

That must have gotten Garfield mad, for he glared at her. "Oh, don't you hiss at me, you damn blood-sucker. I do agree with you; this guy spells trouble for us. But if I walk around all upset about it, it accomplishes nothing."

"Don't you dare curse at me, you stupid animal! I understand you find anger as an unimportant emotion, but you could at least _try_ to be upset for a second! I mean, do you remember Terra? Remember what happened when we accepted her as one of us?"

If Garfield's face was happy before, all traces of it were gone as he frowned. "Shut. Up. Leave Terra out of this." And then, he growled like an angry dog.

"Why the hell are you protecting her?! Do you even care that she betrayed us? Do you want that to happen again?!"

"SHUT UP!"

The two stood opposite to each other in an intense stare-down. Gar's top lip curled up at the edges in a snarl, and Rachel hissed again quietly. They were like two animals fighting over a piece of meat. Luckily Victor intervened before anything worse happened.

"Alright, that's enough. You two are just tired. We'll talk more in the morning, but for right now I think it's best if we all get some rest. Agreed?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, stop bickering and go to bed." Again, they nodded, and Gar and Rachel walked away in opposite directions rather angrily.

Kori looked from where Gar had been standing to where Rachel had been standing, then back at Victor. "A full moon is upon us, is it not?"

Victor sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Those two are going to be a handful these next few days, especially with Mr. Grayson staying with us now. If you could help me out with him, that'd be great."

"I'd be most obliged, friend Victor." She smiled warmly and he nodded again before turning his back to her to clean up his mess before bedtime. "Um, friend Victor? Am I permitted to ask you a question?"

"Of course, Kor. Ask away."

"I thank you...Victor, do you think that Richard Grayson will propose a problem by means of the full moon and friends Garfield and Rachel?" Her innocence amazed Victor sometimes.

He laughed and turned back to her. "Well, Kor, I can honestly say that he has something to do with their moodiness, but you shouldn't have to worry. If either of them get out of hand during Mr. Grayson's stay, you and I know what to do. Hopefully, though, Rae and Gar have enough self control to keep their anger at bay."

"I should hope so." And with that, the two people exited the room and went off to their separate sleeping chambers.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey, everybody! Sorry I was so delayed in updating! School's been hell lately! Here's chapter three of Full Moon. Hope you like it! The next chapter is going to be extremely informative, so be prepared to be a little less confused! WOOT! Okay, anyways, here's chapter three! Again, I apologize for making Gar so out-of-character, but I felt it fit better here! ENJOY!!!!**_

He sat on the edge of his bed, grinding his teeth together. Anger was bubbling inside of him, threatening to escape by means of physical measures. He growled and held his head in his hands. Sobs wracked through his body as he felt the rage die down and being replaced with emptiness. He cried until he had no more tears left in him, and he started gasping for air as he stood from his bed.

This was a reoccurring thing for Garfield. He would get into a fight with Rachel, then feel horrible afterwards for things he had said to her, and then he'd cry until he felt numb. The nasty words he'd say to her were not his fault, they were just a result of his anger. He never meant to lash out at Rachel so harshly all the time; she was just the one that seemed to understand the most. If he would have done that or said those terrible things to anybody else, they would've been hurt and never talked to him again.

But Rachel...she was different. She knew what he was going through, and let him talk to her like he did when he was angry. She let him call her a witch and a blood-sucker, let him yell at her until his throat was soar. But, even though she acted like she didn't care, and most of the time she didn't, Gar still felt horrible. The reason for his sudden outbursts of rage, you ask? Garfield blamed the Beast within him.

A while back, he and Rachel had been out at a party and were having an awesome time, when this jerk of a guy practically attacked Rachel and dragged her downstairs into the cellar of the house the party was held at. Garfield had followed, not wanting his friend to get hurt, and found the jerk on top of Rachel with his lips smashed against hers and his fingers busily trying to undo her jeans. Gar broke out into a fit of rage. He remembered the scene well, and played it over in his head.

FLASHBACK

_"What the hell are you doing to her, you bastard?" Gar shouted, clenching his fists so tight that his claws drew blood._

_ The man that was defiling Rachel looked up and laughed. Though Garfield wasn't really considered small to most, he was still considerably shorter than this man. The man stood and cracked his knuckles, and Rachel begged for the men to stop their bickering, though her voice was monotonous and her face was blank. She had already entered her trance-like state, one she saved especially for uncomfortable situations such as this._

_ Garfield growled and pounced, nailing the man square in the jaw before landing on the ground behind him. Before this rather large man had time to recover, however, Gar jumped him again, this time almost clawing his eyes out. The man had managed to finally pin Garfield to a nearby wall and was in the process of pummeling him with his bare fists. Rachel simply stared, forgetting her abilities, and felt completely helpless. Gar also seemed to forget that he held the power to change into any animal he chose, one that could easily take down this man, as he fell to the ground, motionless._

_ Once Gar seemed to be unconscious, the man turned back to Rachel and smiled evilly. "Now...where were we, gorgeous?"_

_ He made his was over to Rachel and forcibly yanked down her jeans. Just as he was about to remove her panties, something in her mind had told her to scream. She did just that, and before she knew it, the man was off of her._

_ Garfield stood above the now unconscious man, yellow eyes fiercely glowing in the darkness of the basement they were in._

END FLASHBACK

That was the first time the Beast had ever made an appearance in Gar's life. Immediately following that night, Rachel had forced him to talk to Victor, which resulted in many different bio-scans and tests. Victor finally came to the conclusion that this Beast had been inside Garfield far longer than he had realized, and was just now making itself known. Ever since that day, Gar had been much more temperamental, and his normally happy demeanor began to crumble before his friends very eyes.

Or, should he say, Rachel's very eyes. She was the only one that knew that that encounter with the Beast had changed him drastically. For some strange reason, she could see past his facade, straight into his soul. Part of him found this to be a little creepy, but a more logical part thought it to be a good thing.

Once the Beast became a part of his life, he had to immediately build a wall between it and his other emotions. Anger was an emotion that was no longer safe for him to feel, yet it always seemed to be the more dominant one. Especially during full moons. No one knew why, but during full moons Garfield was significantly more irritable, as was Rachel.

As the months wore on, he had gotten used to putting on a show for his friends; his one and only desire was to keep them happy. Yet every time he put up his barrier, Rachel saw right through it, which both frustrated and amused him. She was for real; he didn't need to hide anything from her. Of course, his other friends knew that he had a horrible temper as a result of the Beast, but they didn't know half as much as Rachel did. The two of them were connected in some way.

Their similar pasts made it that much easier for them to understand each other. When Rachel was a child, her father had raped her; when Gar was a child, his foster parent had raped him. When Rachel got older, she trusted someone and they almost ended up killing her; just last month, Garfield had trusted someone and they almost ended up killing him. The list of similarities was endless.

Garfield walked over to his window that overlooked the city and sighed. The pain in his head was unbearable at the moment, but he didn't feel like meditating like Rachel had taught him. He needed to talk to her, to hear her smooth and steady voice telling him that she forgave him for being such a hot head.

With that final thought in mind, Garfield exited his room and walked down the hall to Rachel's sleeping quarters.

**000**

Richard awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of someone walking past his door. Sitting up and stretching, he almost immediately took notice of his whereabouts. He wasn't at home where he should be right now; he was in some old, smelly house on a bed much harder than his own. A rush of the nights events hit him square in the face, and he shot up and out of the bed he was laying in. "That's right!" He almost shouted, but stopped himself from being too loud so he wouldn't wake anybody up.

Unfortunately, he had yet to realize that one member of this strange group of people had exceptionally good hearing, and before he could so much as sit back down on his bed, he heard footsteps walking slowly back to his door. Richard looked up to see a pair of glowing, yellow cat-eyes staring back at him from his doorway. He screeched and jumped slightly, nearly falling of the bed in the process.

"Would you keep it down?" The owner of the yellow eyes hissed, and Richard recognized the voice as that of Garfield Logan.

He put his hand to his heart and took in a deep breath. "Oh, thank God it's only you. You scared me."

Richard couldn't place it, but he could have sworn he heard a small chuckle escape Garfield's throat. "Yeah, I tend to do that to people." Richard could hear Garfield moving closer, but couldn't see through the pitch blackness of the room. His only source of light was the intense glow that radiated from the green man's eyes as he stood in front of him. "Um, listen, I'm...sorry about earlier. As you've probably already noticed, I don't really 'play well' with others..." Richard smiled at this as Gar continued. "Anyways, I apologize if I came off as some kind of jackass."

"Oh, I wouldn't say 'jackass'...okay, maybe I would, but you gave me good reason to think that you were one."

Garfield shrugged and smiled, and though Richard could hardly see them, he shivered at the sharpness of the man's fangs. "Yeah, well, that's true; you're right. I'm not usually one to act like that around people, but you kind of caught me at a bad time. I guess that's not a very good excuse to act like a jerk, but if I could ask for your forgiveness of my rude behavior..."

"Don't think anything of it; you were just in a bad mood, and sometimes we tend to misdirect our rage at those who don't deserve it. I believe the correct term is 'being an ass'..." Garfield chuckled for the second time that night, and Richard smiled before continuing. "Anyway, like I said, don't worry about it. You at least made an attempt to apologize, and that's good enough for me."

"You're very wise, you know that?" Garfield asked, his eyes burning holes through Richard's head they were so intense. He shook his head and was about to deny it, when Gar spoke again. "No, you really are. I don't think...I don't think it was _that_ terrible of an idea in letting you stay with us." And with that, the green man before him disappeared into the black whirlpool of night.

Richard sat in his bed for a moment and thought about what Garfield had just said. '_He thinks I'm...wise? This man, who was so rude to me when I first met him, actually gave me a compliment? Cool..._' He thought as he laid his head down on his pillow and turned on his side. He could sleep much easier now knowing that at least three out of four people in this group didn't hate him.

**000**

After his little chance encounter with Richard, Gar needed to talk to Rae now more than ever. He approached her room and grasped the doorknob of her closed door. Gently pushing it open, his eyes adjusted to the room that was somehow darker than the rest. As he entered, he closed the door behind him. It's not like he needed the light from the hallway anyways; his eyes were so advanced that he could see easily through the room without help.

He scanned the decor of the room; the walls were a dark purple, matching the comforter and pillows of the medium-sized bed pushed up against the far wall. Books lined the shelves that hung on the other three walls, and small golden stars were painted on the ceiling. This is why Garfield loved Rachel's room; it was so calm and tranquil, contrasting slightly with the bright green walls of his own room.

Gar walked straight to the bed, where the young woman he had been looking for lay, her hair splayed out over the pillow and the covers pulled up to her neck. The soft sound of her breathing did not go unnoticed by his sensitive hearing, and he knelt down beside her bed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She looked so angelic when she was sleeping, like there were no problems whatsoever going on in and around her. Garfield loved watching her sleep, though that may sound a little creepy, and he reached out to place a hand on her cheek. Her reaction to his touch was as he expected; she nuzzled her face further into his warm hand as he gently shook her with his other hand.

"Rachel..." He whispered, and she moaned and stirred, but did not wake. He tried again. "Rae...wake up, I need to tell you something..." She slid open one amethyst eye, then shut it immediately, trying to register the green she had just seen.

Opening both eyes this time, she came face to face with Garfield. Although it was dark, she knew it was him by the way his eyes illuminated in the darkness of her room. "Gar? What are you doing?" She asked groggily, and Garfield smiled at the innocence in her voice.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier; I feel really bad about yelling at you, and I want you to know that I'm sorry."

Rachel sat up and the covers slid off her body, exposing her bare top half to him. She was obviously still half-asleep, and failed to notice it, so he let it go for the time being as he waited for her to speak. "Gar, it's alright. Granted, you did kind of sound a little harsher than normal and your words stung, but I knew you needed an outlet, and I'm glad that you got it out of your system." She stretched her arms above her head, and Garfield gulped as the blanket slid down to reveal more of her naked form. "I'm sorry, too. You know, for calling you stupid and bringing up Terra." She said after she was finished her stretch.

His eyes locked onto her sleepy ones, fearing that if he looked anywhere else, she'd get the wrong idea and throw him out. Though, she obviously wasn't all that 'with it' yet, so it probably didn't matter either way. But still, her eyes were among several of her body parts that he could never tear himself away from. They held so much emotion and depth, and even though she scarcely showed emotion, her eyes were the dead give away to her feelings. "Rachel, you don't have to apologize for talking about Terra. She's in the past, and we have to live in the moment." That was his motto, 'Live in the Moment'. Rachel would usually get upset if he said this, but due to her lethargic state, she overlooked it.

"Mm...okay. You forgive me, though. Right?" She turned to him, giving him a full view of her entire upper body, but his eyes remained on hers as he nodded.

"As someone has just recently told me, don't think anything of it." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, thankful that she wasn't fully awake yet. Any other time and she would've kicked his ass for trying it on with her, but for the moment she simply closed her eyes as his lips gently touched the red Chakra gem located on her forehead. "I'm feeling rather tired, now." Gar stated and smiled. '_I guess the guilt was preventing me from sleeping._' Is what ran through his mind as he looked into Rachel's eyes again.

She blinked slowly and sleepily, then shivered. "I'm tired, too. And cold." Garfield laid her on her back and pulled the blanket up and over her breasts to her shoulders. "Thanks. Night, Gar." Rachel yawned as she rolled on her side and buried her head into her pillow.

"Goodnight, Rachel." Gar nodded as he exited the room and shut the door behind him, thoroughly happy with himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Really long chapter alert! It's been eons since I've updated, and I apologize for that! This chapter deals with all of the Titans' pasts, though I may have altered them a tad to fit into the story a little better. It's called 'dramatic license' I do believe. Anyways, I hope this clears up any confusion any may have had about this fic :) Well, enjoy! Also, again, I apologize for making Gar seem out-of-character!**

* * *

Morning came quickly, and Richard practically sprang from the bed he was sleeping on. To say he was anxious would be an understatement. Today was the day that he was finally going to find out what the hell it was that was going on around him. He had a few choice questions to ask, but figured he'd wait until the others' explanations to ask them.

As he exited the room he was staying in, he was immediately intercepted by an excited Kori. "Oh, Richard Grayson! I have most wonderful news! Friend Victor has agreed to let you reside with us for now instead of wiping your memory!"

"Well, um, that's good. Cause wiping my memory really wasn't on my list of 'Top Ten Things I'd Like to do Before I Die'." Kori simply stared at him with a confused look on her face.

"Is this one of those humorous 'jokes' I have been hearing so much about from friend Garfield?" She asked innocently, and Richard smiled.

"I'll explain it later. Right now, I'd like to talk to Victor, please."

Kori's smile widened and she nodded. "Of course, Richard Grayson. Friend Victor is in the laboratory with friends Garfield and Rachel now. Come, we shall talk." Richard nodded and followed her down the hallway and to the elevator that leads down to the hidden lab. Once in the laboratory, Richard could see that Kori was right and Victor, Garfield, and Rachel were all gathered around a lab table talking.

He and Kori approached, and Victor gave a warm smile while Garfield's and Rachel's expressions were undefinable and impassive. "Hey, man! How'd ya sleep?" Victor asked as he pulled Richard into a friendly hug.

"Um, great. Thanks. Now...um, not to sound pushy, but...I'd kind of like to know what's going on now please." Richard stated uncomfortably, and Victor's face turned serious.

"Alright, dude. You ask the questions, we'll try to provide the answers." He said rather solemnly, and Richard could only nod as he thought of a question to ask.

"Okay, I'll start with an easy one: where am I?"

"Yeah, that is easy. You're in Gotham City. If you would like elaboration, then I would have to tell you that you are on the corner of Finger Way and Moore Street (**A/N: Who can guess where I got the street names from?**) Next question." Victor said steadily.

Richard shrugged and entered a thinking stance, hand on his chin and eyes on the ceiling. "Okay...how about: who are you guys? What are you doing here and why are you the way you are?" He figured this was a tougher one by the looks on each of their faces, though Garfield's and Rachel's faces continued to look stoically into random space.

"Rolling in the tougher ones, aren't you? Alright...well, I've already introduced myself, but I guess I'll do it again just in case you forgot. Hi, I'm Victor Stone. As you've probably noticed, I'm made of metal," Richard smiled at the joking tone in this man's voice. "When I was younger, let's just say that I ran into some trouble with the law. As a result from that, I got beat up pretty badly. One time I got the shit beaten out of me so hard that I was on the brink of dying. My father, who was a scientist, built me prosthetic body parts to replace the ones I had lost in the horrible street fight, and as a result, here I am, standing before you. Metal man!" Richard couldn't help but chuckle at how lightly Victor was taking this whole thing. That must have been horrible for him to wake up one day finding that almost half of his body was made of metal.

Brushing it off, Richard looked to Kori. "And what about you?"

She smiled and stood up straighter. "My name is Koriand'r, and I hail from the planet Tamaran. I was a princess there, you know." Richard's shocked expression told her otherwise, and she smiled again before continuing. "My sister, Komand'r, despised me because I was next in line to inherit the throne, and one day she tried to kill me, after which she was expelled from Tamaran. When she returned to attack me with backup, we were both forcibly beamed aboard a Psion spaceship and experimented on. My starbolts are a result of the experiment." She held up her hand and a green beam of solar energy burst from her palm, striking a lab table several feet away. Richard nodded and she continued. "My sister and I managed to escape, though I have never heard nor seen her since then, and that is how I am here now." Kori took a breath in as she finished her story and looked at Richard to see if he had caught all of that through her quick speech.

Richard simply nodded and moved on to someone else. He looked at Garfield for a moment, then decided it'd be best if he learned about him last. His eyes met Rachel's unusual violet ones and before he could open his mouth, she spoke. "I guess I'm next, then. Don't expect to get a whole lot out of me, because I still don't trust you yet, but my name is Rachel Roth. I am the half-breed daughter of the inter dimensional demon, Trigon." Richard immediately flinched at that name. "Oh, so I take it you've heard of him? Well, that's all you're going to hear about him from me. Other than the fact that I grew up in another dimension, known formally as Azerath, there's not much I wish to tell you about my past. That is all."

"But...what's your special ability?" He asked, then regretted it as an evil smile spread across her face. He instantly felt a cold, empty feeling wash over him. The world was a black canvas in front of him as he felt himself being lifted upside down. As he opened his eyes, he saw that he was being suspended in the air by a giant, black claw. Apparently, this was Rachel's ability.

"Any more stupid questions?" Rachel asked as she placed him back on the ground. He shook his head and looked down at the ground.

He was just about to move on with another question when he remembered something. "Hey, Garfield. You never told me about you."

The others seemed to tense up, and Garfield looked Richard dead in the eyes. "No, I guess I didn't." He stated through clenched teeth, though his voice was calm as he spoke. "Do you have the faintest idea what 'Sakutia' is?" Richard shook his head and Garfield sighed in agitation. "It's a disease transmitted through green monkeys in Africa. If you can put two and two together, you'd realize that I wouldn't know this unless I've lived in Africa before. When I was younger, my parents and I resided in Africa where they did their experiments, seeing as they were scientists, and I goofed around in the forest. I got bitten by a green monkey that carried Sakutia, and I was on the brink of death. My parents used an untested serum on me in hopes that it would save me, and although it did, it came with the price of turning my skin and hair green and giving my eyes a more bestial look. Another direct result of the serum was giving me the ability to turn into any animal I choose." He demonstrated by transforming himself into a saber-tooth tiger and letting out a fierce roar. Changing back, he began to speak again, not even caring that Richard had practically shit his pants. "Long story short, my parents died shortly after this. Don't ask me how, when, or why because I don't wish to discuss it at this point. My legal guardian, Nicholas Galtry, took me in, and again, I don't want to talk about what he did to me. Eventually, after a few attempts at trying to kill me, I ran away from Nicholas and came here. The end, por fin, good bye." He stated blankly and once again began his empty gaze into space.

Richard seemed to mull over what Garfield had said, and after analyzing each bit of data, realized how horrible and traumatizing his life must have been. And this was just the stuff he was telling him about. Richard could almost guarantee Garfield had left out a thing or two about his past, but not wanting to force the matter, he dropped it. An awkward silence settled over the room.

Finally, Rachel broke the silence. "Don't you have anymore questions?" Richard could only nod and enter his thoughtful pose again.

"Hmm...okay, I've got one: why were those men shooting at you guys?"

All of them seemed to let out a breathy laugh and look at him, amused. "You said earlier that you have heard about us, correct?" Kori asked, her head cocked to the side innocently. Richard nodded and she continued. "You have heard correctly...to a certain point."

"You told us that you read in the paper that we were causing problems for the government because we wouldn't cooperate." Rachel's voice was a bit stale, like she still didn't like him very much. "Ever stop to wonder why we won't cooperate with them?"

"What Rachel is _trying_ to say is that...well, people don't see us as...normal around here..." Victor talked slowly, trying to phrase the next sentence right. "And...since people sort of...fear us...the government has come up with a 'solution'." A roll of Rachel's eyes told Richard that this solution wasn't a very good one. "They lock us up in our own little containment center to keep us contained, and in turn they won't harm us."

Garfield snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "They think that locking us in cages like monsters will solve all their problems. Ha! We aren't doing anything wrong, and they want to go and put us away to 'keep the people safe'. Jackasses." He mumbled under his breath.

"They think they can hurt us; shows how much they know." Rachel muttered in a tone equal to Garfield's. They both glared at the floor and all was silent again as Richard contemplated this.

So that's what Garfield meant by 'our side of the story'. All Richard had really read about these people is that they were resisting the government's rule, and in turn that made them bad people. But they weren't bad, just misunderstood.

He looked back up at this strange group of friends and smiled. "Well, you don't have to worry about me being afraid of you. I actually think you guys are kind of...cool." All eyes were on him, looking at him strangely. "What? Oh God, do I have something on my face?"

Kori giggled and gave Richard a blistering hug. "Oh, I told you he would understand us! Thank you, Richard Grayson, for accepting us!"

"Kor...I...can't...BREATHE!" He gasped out as she let him go, dusting him of and letting out an embarrassed giggle.

Victor smiled and moved over to where the two were standing, patting Richard on the back and cracking his spine back into place after Kori's tight embrace. "Hey, man, I'm glad you ain't scared of us. Rae, Gar? How 'bout you guys join the party." He motioned for the two he had addressed to move into the sort of group-hug, but neither budged. "Oh...kay...looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way..." He smiled evilly and walked up behind Garfield. Wrapping his arms around his waist and hoisting him up and over his shoulder, Victor carried the green man across the entire laboratory.

"Dude! STOP! LET GO!" Garfield shouted, though his laughter told them that he wasn't angry.

"Awe, quit bein' such a pussy, bro!" Victor laughed and dropped Gar right in front of Rachel, who was trying to hide her laughter. The smile on her face was a dead give away that she was no longer upset, though.

Garfield landed inches away from Rachel, their noses touching, and Victor shoved Gar forward to land on top of her on the lab table she was leaning up against.

"VICTOR!" They both shouted with faux-rage, and Rachel's eyes glowed white as Garfield was lifted upside down by his feet into the air by a black claw.

He screeched, making everyone laugh harder, and began to shout. "GAH! Rae! Let me down! Let me down!"

"I'm sorry, Gar; I can't hear you." She put a finger to her ear to make her point.

"RACHEL! LET ME DOWN!"

Everyone laughed and Rachel nodded. "Alright, alright. Jesus, Vic was right; you are a pussy." She broke her hold on him and he fell to the ground, gracefully landing on all fours.

"That was so not cool, Rae." He shook his head and stood, brushing off his jeans and glaring at her. "Any longer and I would've passed out."

"Well, at least it would've given us a break from your constant talking." Victor mocked, and everybody burst out laughing again.

"Oh, very funny, dude." Gar turned away and crossed his arms, pouting and pretending to be hurt, but Rachel walked up behind him and slid her arms around his neck.

"Awe, poor baby. It's okay, Gar. I know what'll make you fell better...let's have sex." She smiled evilly and Garfield jumped, turning around and looking at her.

"Seriously?!" He asked excitedly.

Rachel laughed softly. "No." She stated simply and turned to walk away. "Honestly, men are so easy."

He whined and followed her. "Hey, that's not fair! You can't dangle sex in front of a guy and expect him not to bight!" Laughter filled the room as Rachel and Garfield stared at each other 'angrily'.

Richard was actually shocked; Garfield and Rachel didn't seem like the ones to joke, yet here they were, laughing and joking around with each other, about sex no less. It almost seemed like there were two different people living inside each of their brains—one that was pissed at the world, and one that could joke and laugh and have a good time. Almost like they were schizophrenic. Another thing that stumped him was the fact that the two people standing in front of him were actually getting along! '_I guess everything really __isn't__ what it seems..._' he thought as the laughter died down slowly.

"In any event," Victor said, wiping a tear from his eye, "Richard, do you have anymore questions for us?" All eyes were on Richard.

He entered his thoughtful pose once more, but could think of nothing of the sort to ask these people. They had already told him so much. He decided that that was enough of playing Q&A, and shook his head. "No further questions."

Victor smiled and was about to say something when Garfield cut him off. "Great, now I have a question for you." Everybody turned to him, and much to their chagrin, he was frowning again. "What would Bruce Wayne think of you hanging out with us, Mr. Richard Grayson?"

'_Oh shit, I forgot about Bruce..._' Richard thought as he froze. Everyone's gaze shifted to him, and he started to shake with nervousness. '_I also forgot to tell them that Bruce Wayne, aka Mr. Government-official, is my guardian..._' He looked at Garfield, but the man's face was impassive. "Um...well..."

"Friend Richard...oh!" Kori shouted and looked at him apologetically. "Please excuse me, but am I permitted to call you 'Friend'?" He simply nodded and she continued. "I thank you...Friend Richard, is it considered prying if we ask you about your past?" Richard's face turned rigid and he paled.

"Well..."

"You said that already..." Rachel said, crossing her arms and moving to stand next to Garfield. "Aren't you going to say anything else?"

"I think I'm just gonna stick with 'well' for now..." They all looked confused for a minute, and he waved his hands in the air. "I was kidding. You wanna know what happened to me? Here, watch this." He held his index finger in the air, signaling them to keep their eyes on him. He went over to an empty isle in the lab and took a deep breath in. Then, in a matter of seconds, he was backflipping and handspringing all over the place. He finished it off by landing directly in front of Kori, making her squeal with delight. Through pants, he said, "My...family...was part of a traveling...circus...we were...acrobats..." Taking another moment to catch his breath, he took in the slightly impressed looks of the people in front of him. "Life was good...until my parents were murdered mysteriously one night, leaving me in the foster-care of Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises. He...he never told me what happened to my parents, but I have a feeling he knows and is keeping it from me." He finished his short life-tale and waited for someone to say something. Victor was the first to speak.

"Wow, I'm real sorry, man. Well, you're always welcome here. Just...one thing: if you decide you want to go back and live with Bruce Wayne, you can't tell him about us. He has major connections to the government, and in turn we'd be at risk of getting put away forever."

Richard shook his head and crossed his heart. "I won't tell, I promise." Though he would never say it out loud, he didn't think that Bruce would tell anyone anyways. He was always good at keeping secrets...Richard never knew how, but he always managed to do it.

"Yeah, this is all fine and good, but you still haven't fully answered the question: are you staying, or going?" Garfield asked harshly, though his eyes did not hold the same intense hatred they had before. They almost seemed to have a certain understanding withheld in them, and Richard shuttered once again at the way his vibrant yellow eyes glowed and seemed to pierce through his flesh.

He looked around at the people in front of him, and after scratching the back of his head, he began an internal debate. '_I really do like these people...they seem to really get me. But...I can't just leave Bruce without any explanation as to why I suddenly disappeared. I could write him a letter...but what would I say? Hey Bruce, sorry man, but I'm leaving you cause you're boring as dirt and I found new, cooler people to hang with? That'd break his heart. Still...I don't think I could stand living with him any longer. And these people are so lively, so intriguing; I'd really like to get to know them better. Plus it'll give me a chance to prove to Rachel and Garfield that I'm not all that bad._' He played his decision over in his head a couple of times before finally voicing it. "I want to stay here, with you guys." Kori cheered and gave him a hug, cracking a couple of his bones in the process. Once she let him go, he sighed and said, "I don't know what I'm going to do with Bruce, but I most definitely don't want to go on living with him. Not that I don't love him for saving my life practically, but I just don't think he and I could ever get along." Everyone nodded, and Kori gave him another, less bruising, hug.

"Oh, I am so delighted that you have wished to stay with us, Friend Richard! Now, I have many questions to ask you about this planet. Firstly, what is this word that I have heard being said on the streets on more than one occasion by many of the males as I walk by them? I believe the word is 'sexy'." Richard's face paled again, and he turned to Victor or the others for help. They all put their hands up in defense and went their separate ways, leaving him to answer the question on his own.

"Um, well, Kori. The word 'sexy' means..."

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**I hope you liked it! I'm rather proud of this chapter, but I guess that's not up to me...PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**FINALLY! After, like, three months, I am finally updating this story! I am soooooo sorry it took so long! No excuse will be good enough to let you know how sorry I am! Anyways, just your average run-of-the-mill GarfieldXRachel chapter...most of it references another story I was working on and ended abruptly, but I think you'll like it. I know I pretty much say this at the end off all of my Author's Notes, but I apologize in advance for Gar's moodiness! And Ooc-ness...**

**STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY!**

"You don't have to sit up here sulking all day, you know." Rachel heard someone say from behind her. She whipped her head around and saw Gar leaning up against the door leading back into the building. Rachel was sitting up on the roof, simply thinking, and she became slightly annoyed that he assumed she was sulking.

"I'm not sulking, I'm just—"

"Rae, chill. I didn't mean anything by it." He interrupted her, pushing himself off the door and walking up to her with his hands in his pockets. He sat next to her and looked out into the distance. "He's not that bad of a guy. He's actually kind of...wise..." Rachel looked thoroughly confused, and he sighed as he turned to her. "Richard, I mean. He speaks with the wisdom way beyond his years, and I think we should give him a chance."

Rachel snorted. "Oh, yeah, like you're one to talk! Every time he's in the same room as you you shut yourself up in your mind! Don't you see that it's scaring me to see you like this? I can't stand it when you do this!" Though she didn't realize it, she had started crying. This was a side that Garfield always brought out in her; she never had a problem expressing any intense emotions around him. He seemed to want her to express herself more, and as if his wishes were what fueled her feelings, she always obeyed. "Gar, I'm worried sick!"

"Rae, stop. Calm down! You're overreacting!" He shouted, grabbing her hand that was about to strike him across the face. "Rachel, I'm fine! You need to relax."

"Relax? Relax! How can you tell me to relax when a full moon is just days away and you don't even seem to care!"

"Rachel, I do care! We just need to stay calm about it!" Gar retorted, holding on tighter to Rachel's frail wrist as she tried to pull away.

"There you go again with that damn 'calm' shit! Honestly, Gar, what if the Beast wins this time? Ever think about that? I don't want anything to happen to you because I care about you and—" But Rachel was cut off from her rant as Garfield pulled her into an intense embrace. She struggled for only a moment before settling comfortably into his warmth. Her tears stained his purple and black shirt, though he didn't seem to care at the moment. He just held her closer, pulling her onto his lap and burying his face into her soft purple hair.

"Shh...Rae, it's okay...stop crying, it's okay..." It tore him apart when she cried; Rachel never cried. On rare occasions he would see this side of her, and it ate him up inside each and every time it happened. All he could do was keep stroking her hair and whispering soothing words into the crook between her neck and shoulder. "Rae, I care about you too. You have to stop worrying yourself with my problems, or you'll end up killing yourself from the overwhelming effect. Don't you remember the last time you attempted to see into my thoughts using your empathy? Didn't work out too well, did it?" Rachel did in fact recall when she had first popped into Gar's brain. It was a nightmare.

FLASHBACK

_Opening her eyes, the first thing Rachel saw was a thick forest. She stood, as she had landed on her rump when she entered, and looked around. When she finally found her __footing, she took the chance to think deeply. '__Where's Gar? And...where am I? Is this his mind? If so, where is he?__' A sharp pain shot through her head, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Ah!" She screeched as images flashed before her eyes:_

_ A boy, a green boy, standing in front of a large man. The man knocked him to the ground, cursing at him. The boy cried, and the man bent down, kissing him painfully on the lips. The boy struggled more as the man defiled him. The picture swirled._

_ The same green boy stood frozen in front of many people, all looking at him in horror. The boy had just accidentally made his first transformation, almost killing a young girl in the process. Again, the scenery changed._

_ Sounds of water falling echoed through the empty-looking forest as the green boy sat crying. Mere feet away from him laid his parents in a pool of their own blood, dead, killed by the roaring rapids._

_ The setting changed a final time, showing a green man around 18 standing in front of the rising sun, scars evident on his beautiful ivy skin. He transformed into a jaguar and let out a fierce growl as he pounced on the man that had been in the first image, killing him in a split second._

_ These painful images plus others kept spinning through Rachel's mind as she clutched her head in agony, feeling a rush of emotions run through her body. Pain, despair, horror, petrification, sadness, and these were just some of the feelings that washed through her as she tried to stand from her new found position on the ground. The headache worsened as she did this; she was not used to feeling this much this quickly. She did the only thing she could think to do in a situation such as this...she ran._

_ Her feet hit the ground hard as she sprinted through the vast jungle, and she felt a presence running beside her, though she could not see through the tears that were forming in her eyes from the pain. Because she was distracted, she failed to notice a wall that had seemed to appear out of nowhere, and ran straight into it as a result. Rachel held herself up by the wall, salty tears still streaming down her face as the images flashed faster. She felt faint, and wanted nothing more than to find Garfield and get out of this hell._

_ "Hell, huh?" A male voice asked from behind her. She whipped around to see Garfield leaning up against the wall by a shoulder, hands in his jean's pockets and an unreadable expression on his face. He looked almost...angry. Moving closer, Garfield examined her more closely. "Wow, Rae...you don't look too good. What ever could be the matter? You seem as if you're in pain." His tone stung and was dripping with sarcasm as he moved even closer, whispering in her ear, "I told you you didn't want to know. Now my burdens are yours as well. Way to go, genius." Rachel had never heard him like this before; he sounded almost like she did at times. Was she really that mean?_

_ Pain equivalent to a knife being stabbed into her temple tore through her body, effectively bringing her out of her thoughts. "Garfield!" She screamed as she knelt down on the ground, grabbing at his jeans and sobbing even harder. "Garfield, please! Make it stop! It hurts!"_

_ "Oh, it hurts, does it? Well, hate to break it to ya, Rae, but that's the pain I experience every day! And now you have to live with this hell, too!" He shouted, moving away from her in disgust. What was going on? This wasn't how Garfield usually acted. He was usually so kind and considerate, and now he was acting like a total jackass. Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks. She was in his mind, meaning that his emotions were stronger than on the outside. On the outside he wore a mask; one that was always happy, never showing an ounce of any other emotion except those connected to happy. It was amazing how much they had in common; she hid her emotions through blandness, he hid his through happiness, though inside they were both deeply disturbed individuals. She smirked, though the pain was still unbearable, and Garfield growled. "What the hell are you smiling about? God, you know what? I don't even care anymore! Do whatever the hell you want! Kill yourself for all I care, just leave me alone!" A roar brought him out of his rage-filled rant, and both froze as the pain in Rachel's head subsided. "Shit...you just had to bring him out, didn't you." Garfield mumbled as he grabbed Rachel by the hand and yanked her forcibly to her feet. "Alright, we're out of here."_

END FLASHBACK

After that little encounter, Rachel had always kept an eye on Gar. They had grown particularly close after that, and still Rachel was the only one that knew about Gar's 'mask'. She cried harder as she remembered this, and Garfield simply held her and rocked back and forth, rubbing her back and whispering sweet-nothings in her ear.

"Ahem..." Came a voice from behind them, and Gar whipped his head around to find Richard standing in the doorway, hand still on the knob, and a look of pure petrification on his face. "Victor says that you guys should come inside. A storm is rolling in, and he doesn't want you guys getting wet. He said something about Garfield smelling like wet dog..." To both men's surprise, Rachel laughed. They both looked at her like she was crazy, yet all she did was look back at them with sparkles in her eyes from a mixture of the tears and the brightness of her smile.

"It's true, Gar. You smell terrible after a walk in the rain." Garfield feigned hurt feelings and Richard smiled; Rachel was funny when she wanted to be. '_Well what do ya know? I learned something new about her already._' He thought as he watched Gar and Rachel stand and brush each other off. As Rachel walked past Gar, she gave him a weak smile and a kiss on the cheek, causing the green man to blush slightly. When she passed by Richard, she touched his arm tentatively as if to say 'thanks' and fled down the stairs.

Richard turned back to Garfield and smiled at how he looked after Rachel. '_I have a feeling there's something I'm missing, but oddly...I'm okay with that_,' he thought, keeping a wary eye on Garfield before making his way back downstairs into the laboratory.

Richard sat on the edge of his bed, looking down at his hands. He was just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Something was going on that the others weren't telling him, something about Garfield and Rachel. There was something both of them were leaving out of their stories.

"What is it? Kori said something about a full moon...I remember that much..." he said aloud, remembering what she had said to Victor when she thought he was asleep. "'A full moon is upon us'...what does that mean?" He sighed and fell back on his bed, rubbing his eyes with the heals of his hands. "Asking the others could prove to be deadly, but I need to know! Maybe Victor can help me out..." Richard sat up and snapped his fingers. "I'll try to trick Victor into telling me! I'm sure he knows what's going on with those two!" He quickly stood and ran out of the room into the laboratory, where the others were nonchalantly talking about nothing in particular. '_I'll bet the sight of me will get Garfield and Rachel going at each other, and then I'll ask_,' he thought, walking up to them and nodding his head at each of them.

"Hey, man. What's up? Thought you were taking a nap," Victor said cheerily, putting down his latest invention and wiping his hands on his khaki pants.

Richard shrugged, turning to Rachel and waving at her with a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

**I accidentally put the beginning of this chapter on the end of the last chapter. MY BADDDDD!**

**STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY**

Richard sat on the edge of his bed, looking down at his hands. He was just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Something was going on that the others weren't telling him, something about Garfield and Rachel. There was something both of them were leaving out of their stories.

"What is it? Kori said something about a full moon...I remember that much..." he said aloud, remembering what she had said to Victor when she thought he was asleep. "'A full moon is upon us'...what does that mean?" He sighed and fell back on his bed, rubbing his eyes with the heals of his hands. "Asking the others could prove to be deadly, but I need to know! Maybe Victor can help me out..." Richard sat up and snapped his fingers. "I'll try to trick Victor into telling me! I'm sure he knows what's going on with those two!" He quickly stood and ran out of the room into the laboratory, where the others were nonchalantly talking about nothing in particular. '_I'll bet the sight of me will get Garfield and Rachel going at each other, and then I'll ask_,' he thought, walking up to them and nodding his head at each of them.

"Hey, man. What's up? Thought you were taking a nap," Victor said cheerily, putting down his latest invention and wiping his hands on his khaki pants.

Richard shrugged, turning to Rachel and waving at her with a smile. She frowned and turned away from him. Frowning himself, he turned to Garfield. "What's up, man?"

"Not much. Just checking the police scanner for anything out of the normal..." He sounded a tad awkward, but at least he was being nicer. He was even smiling. That is, he was smiling...until Rachel nudged him.

"Hush up, would you? We don't have to tell him! He probably doesn't even care." She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. Richard was only slightly surprised by her reaction, and he smiled at Garfield's response to her; he was definitely getting some answers today.

"Jesus, Rae, no need to bite my head off!" he growled under his breath, going back to reading the scanner. He winced as Rachel smacked him across the head.

"It's Rachel, idiot. Ra-chel...not Rae. And if you wanted me to bite your head off, all you had to do was ask." Rachel smiled sweetly at him, and his growl reached impressive intervals.

"Don't test me. I'm not in the mood." His voice was low, and it was then that Richard realized how stupid a plan this really was. They were heading toward another argument, and they both looked tired, so restraint may have been a luxury that was not available at the moment.

Rachel's eyes flashed red for a millisecond, then returned to their regular amethyst color. "You're not in the mood? I'm the one who was woken up quite forcibly last night by a certain changeling-whom-shall-not-be-named!" And let the fighting commence.

"All right, you two. Calm down. You're just tired, is all," Victor interjected, trying his best to step into the argument long enough to destroy it, but to no avail.

"Shut up, Vic!" both shouted, glaring at him. He backed off with his tail between his legs, choosing instead to watch the impending scuffle from a safe distance like everyone else.

As the two continued to duke it out verbally, Richard made his way over to the cowering Victor, questioning look in his ice blue eyes. "So, um...is it just me, or are these two a little more riled up than usual?" He asked it as lightly and as subtly as he could, hoping that an explanation would follow.

The metal man's brown gaze moved from the arguing duo to the newcomer, then to Kori, who shrugged helplessly . "Well...um, Richard, you see..."

"Oh, that's it! There is just no getting through that stubborn-as-hell head of yours!" Garfield's angry voice cut through Victor's words like a knife through butter, and all parties in the room jumped at his feral tone. "You are being so unreasonable over a goddamn comment! You just need to chill, _Rachel_." The way he emphasized her name did not go unnoticed by the purple-haired beauty, and she hissed through clenched teeth, snapping her jaws dangerously.

"Come at me, Gar!" she began, opening her arms in invitation, "Maybe use more than your morning-breath as a weapon, because even though it's killing me right now, you're gonna need more than mustard gas to take me down!"

Garfield's eyes widened at the insult, then narrowed angrily. "As if you're one to talk! Did you forget that my nose is a little more sensitive than the average humans'? Try brushing those blood-sucking fangs every once in a while and then come and talk to me about bad breath!"

"That's it!" Rachel finally shouted, pushing off of her heel and moving to stand directly in front of Garfield. "You'd better hope Vic knows dentistry, because you're gonna need some serious work on your teeth after I'm done punching them out!" Garfield growled ferociously, jumping out of the way as Rachel's sharp nails attempted a slash at him. Back flipping away from the enraged woman, he landed gracefully on all fours a little ways away from her, his eyes shifting from angry to hurt, back to angry again.

"You asked for it, demon spawn!" he growled out, pouncing from the ground and flexing his claws.

Richard's eyes widened, and he turned his attention to Victor and Kori, who, although seemingly shocked at the outburst of the two, were doing no more than standing there. "Shouldn't we do something?" he asked loudly, but did not receive and answer. He looked back to where Garfield and Rachel were dodging each other's attacks, and it looked as if they were holding back their anger and restraining themselves, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. "For Christ's sake, they're gonna kill each other!"

Growling and hissing filled the room as the duo continued to evade the other's wrath, but before long, their swipes were becoming more and more lethal, and it looked like they were becoming more serious about the battle. Just as Richard's mouth opened to try and talk some sense into the two, Victor raised a hand and motioned for him to stop. "Let them work it out, Richard. The explanations will come soon enough, but for now, just...just give them a chance to cool off." The calm, collected note to Victor's voice caused Richard to comply almost immediately, and together, Victor, Kori, and Richard all turned their attention back to the fight.

"Dammit! Stop moving around so much, Gar!" Rachel shouted angrily, her nails once again slicing air as aforementioned green man continued to dodge swiftly, evading her deadly, pointed claws with the sleek agility of a cat.

"No way, Rae! If I stop moving, then you'll snag me. Can't have that happen, now, can we?" he joked, flipping away from her and over a lab table with as much grace as a professional gymnast. "Come on! You're gonna have to do better than that!" Rachel let out a growl, jumping up onto the table and crouching on all fours like a jungle cat ready to pounce.

"I intend to, Gar," she hissed, crawling toward him slowly. Both of their eyes had darkened considerably, and both of their pupils were constricted terribly, Garfield's only mere slits against the yellow of his irises. As Rachel came within striking distance, Garfield moved forward until their faces were inches away from each other. A threatening growl rumbled in his throat, and Rachel responded with a soft hiss of her own.

Noticing the lack of fighting, Richard assumed that they were finished with their little spat, and made to walk over toward them, but was stopped by a hand grabbing him by his shirt's collar and yanking him back into place. "Not yet, man. It's not over..." Victory began, frowning slightly, "In fact...I think this is the worst part..." he mumbled, and Richard only nodded before looking back over at the feuding couple. They were still intimately close to each other, growling and hissing, but they weren't attempting to kill each other anymore, which must have been a good sign.

"What are—"

"They're establishing dominance," Kori said softly, interrupting him from asking his question. He gazed at her confusedly, but her eyes did not leave her arguing friends as she continued. "Friend Garfield, due to the many animals that reside within his very being, has a seldom seen primal side that comes out only when he feels his authority is being challenged. Friend Rachel always manages to bring out the primal side due to her lack of obedience, and Garfield is now simply...what is it called? 'Showing her who is boss'..." Richard nodded knowingly, his face taking on an enlightened look to it as his gaze rested on Garfield and Rachel. They were acting like animals on a special episode of The Animal Planet. If he were in a humorous mood, he would have laughed. But, since he was void of such a mood at this time, he instead opted for frowning. Now he'd really like to know what was up with them.

Opening his mouth, he was about to ask another question when a loud roar broke the still. Shocked eyes looked back at Garfield, who was cradling his cheek where Rachel had smacked him. "How dare you, you stupid animal?" she shouted, rubbing her neck were a puncture wound was noticeable against the pale skin.

Garfield's head snapped up to look at her, anger filling his yellow eyes. "How dare I? What the hell, woman? You don't smack me, and you sure as hell don't belittle me for claiming what is rightfully mine!" His voice was loud and filled with rage as his hand left his cheek, claws flexing dangerously.

What was rightfully his? What did that mean? Richard was more confused now than ever before, but further questions could not be asked as Garfield bared his fangs menacingly and dove for Rachel, claws poised to cut across her body painfully. Richard shouted, waiting for the two to make contact, but the contact never came as a masculine howl of pain filled his ears instead. Squinting his eyes open, he was surprised to find that, instead of a bloody Rachel lying on the ground dying of multiple gashes to the stomach, both Rachel and Gar were currently crying out and convulsing where they stood, hands grasping their heads and limbs flailing as they moved away from each other, bumping into lab tables and other objects in their haste.

"Vic...turn it...off!" Garfield managed through clenched teeth, eyes shut tight and pointed ears flicked back against his head in extreme pain. Rachel was at least fifteen feet away from him now, groaning in agony as her body was sent into a stream of seizures. Kori gasped almost inaudibly and flew over to her friend, sitting on her knees beside her and propping her head in her lap.

Victor moved over to Gar, grabbing the green man by his shoulder and spinning him to face him. "Sorry, man. Stop moving for five seconds and lemme shut it off," he stated calmly, grabbing onto the chain that hung around Garfield's neck that Richard had failed to notice before now. Pulling the chain out from under his shirt, a small, metal dog tag hung from the end with a single engraving of a wolf in the center. Victor pressed the wolf, and instantly, Garfield's spasming body relaxed and his hands left his head. Rachel's sounds of pain were also silenced as the metal man placed the tag back under Gar's shirt.

Everybody stood silently for a moment, the only sounds being the gasps and heavy intakes of breath from Garfield and Rachel. Finally, Victory spoke. "Listen, Richard...we have to talk..."

"Like hell we do!" the man shouted suddenly, his temper flaring. He hadn't gotten a single answer, not even an acknowledgment, through that entire escapade, and he was about ready to drive his fist through the wall if he didn't get some explanations. Soon. "What on Earth was all of that? You two were going at each other like rabid animals!" It wasn't his best analogy, but it served its purpose as both Garfield and Rachel—now standing—flushed and turned their faces downward. "Oh, no! None of that! You guys are gonna tell me what the hell is going on right now or so help me, I will—"

"Richard Grayson! Calm down, please!" Kori shouted over his angry rant, flying over to him and clasping her hands together. "I promise, we will explain what happened, but we need you to be open minded about it!" Richard took in a deep breath, then looked down at the beautiful alien hovering in front of him. Her pleading, green eyes begged for him to relax, and he complied almost instantly. He could never stay angry in her presence.

"Fine. Talk," he stated simply, looking upon all of them with weary eyes.

Surprisingly, Garfield was the first to speak. "Okay. You wanna know so badly, then fine, try and comprehend this: I turn into a complete and total beast the night of the full moon," he stated bluntly, his anger still being just barely contained. Rachel winced at the tone of his voice, but said nothing as he continued. "I'm not normally _this_ much of a jackass, but the Beast is, and he takes over my personality when a full moon is near. And, judging by the calender, our next full moon is less than a week away." His piercing, yellow eyes stared Richard down, daring him to interrupt, but he knew better. The blue-eyed man didn't really have a death wish. "The tiniest things can set me off in this state," his eyes moved to glare at Rachel, and she looked down sheepishly, "and I cannot be held accountable for my actions. My mind eventually shuts down completely and the Beast reigns control. Luckily I'm able to keep him somewhat contained, but I'm not sure how much more time we have until that will no longer be a luxury..." Rachel's head snapped up at this.

"But...Gar...you said—"

"I know what I said, Rae, and I stand by it, but...things are changing...and not for the better...as of now, it's under control, and that's all we can be thankful for for now." He walked hesitantly over to the distraught half-demon and brushed a hand over her cheek. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean the things I said...you know, about you being a demon spawn or a blood-sucker..."

She laughed humorlessly. "You were right, though...no reason apologizing for the truth..." Rachel turned her attention to Richard, acknowledging his questioning stare before opening her mouth and speaking again. "Demons are a lot like vampires in that we live off of human blood. I'm only half-demon, so I don't require blood to survive, but I still have fangs if I so choose to indulge in the deadly, sinful act, which I don't plan on doing anytime in the near future." She cringed, and the sides of Gar's mouth kicked up into a smile. "I'm sure now you understand why Gar is always calling me a blood-sucker..."

Richard made a sound in the back of his throat that resembled that of an enlightened man and nodded. "Now I get it...I wondered about your insults...I mean, the reason you call him an animal is obvious, but now it makes sense as to why he calls you a blood-sucker..." He smiled lightly, and shockingly, both Rachel and Garfield returned the small smile. Then, a frown of concentration crossed his face. "Another question: what happened back there when you guys were so close to...to...killing each other?" Both of them moved their heads to look at Victor, and the metal man nodded in acknowledgment before turning to face Richard.

"That's what I wanted to tell you earlier when you were freaking out about them ripping each other apart." Walking over to Garfield, he pulled the chain out from under his shirt again, holding it up so it shined in the light of the lab. "Because of their genetics and DNA structures, I personally installed these necklaces to keep their wild sides in check." He pointed to Rachel, he pulled a necklace out from under her shirt. It was similar to Gar's, only hers had a raven in the center as opposed to a wolf. "When their more primal sides begin to take over their body, the system gives them a little shock. Obviously, they ignored the first warning shock, which is when the secondary action took place. It accompanies a shock of higher voltage and a high-pitched ringing that only Gar is able to hear to get them to calm down. There's also a third setting, but luckily, we haven't had to use that yet..." Victor spared a glance at Garfield, whose expression was unreadable, and then he looked back up at Richard. "Lately we've been having to use this system more and more often, which is a tad unnerving, but with your assistance, I'm sure it won't continue." With a curt nod, he excused himself from the others, saying that he now had to go recalibrate the necklaces for later use.

The rest of them stood awkwardly around each other, not looking another in the face as sheepish eyes shifted from the ground to the window and back again in anxiety. Finally, though, Garfield spoke. "So...um...yeah, about the whole 'Beast' thing..."

"It's okay," Richard interrupted, holding a hand up and shaking his head, "you don't have to tell me right now if it's uncomfortable." By the way everybody was pussyfooting around the subject, he figured it was a sensitive topic. He didn't want to give Gar or Rachel even more of a reason to hate him. Reaching up and nervously scratching the back of his head, Richard shrugged and turned his attention to Kori. "I think I'm gonna turn in early tonight, Kor..." The pretty alien nodded and offered to escort him to his room. With an answer in the affirmative, they quickly exited the room, leaving a rather awkward conversation between the only two people left to unfold.


End file.
